A Daughter's Love
by IanDonyer -ChrisAvrich
Summary: One year from the date of her mother's death, a younger Janine comes to terms with her feelings for her always-absent father.  RATED T: Simply because of a use of a possibly offensive word. Just being sure, hehe.


**DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Pokemon, because quite a few changes would be made, mainly to the anime. But alas, I do not.**

Author's Notes: I wanted to take a break from the current work of "Best Laid Plans" for a week or so, but I'm a workaholic at times. So I decided that I'd do a quick OneShot of one of my personal favorites of the underused characters. Janine/Anzu. As with "Best Laid Plans", I'm up for any constructive crticism anyone wishes to give. Please, help me improve. My begging aside... Enjoy!

"The invisible walls of Fuschia's Gym have you frustrated, challenger?" His rough, impressive voice demanded. The true motive behind this gruff, challenging personality was obvious to anyone with a functioning set of eyes and ears; to hear his voice, and to see the little girl standing behind him. She was clad in a very... unique outfit for the atmosphere, though, and that did tend to add a bit of confusion to the situation.

She was clad in a Catholic School-girl-like outfit, a skirt that reached down to her knees and was a royal blue, socks that pushed themselves up to about two inches beneath her knees, as well as a neatly tied pair of leather black shoes. Her top was a dull white, sleeves rolled up to about the elbow (even if she was strangely dressed for the environment, one could tell due to this that she still cared somewhat about comfortable dress; somewhat). Her hair was a sheer jet black, tied up behind her. Somewhat resembling the end of a broomstick, really.

"Janine!" The gruff-voiced man called out a moment later, not even bothering to give this challenger a chance to respond just yet. "Get back. I have the feeling this will be a dangerous battle."

The purpose of his tough facade was simple. It was to try and impress his daughter, the girl behind him - "Janine" - and give her a figure to look up to.

But it wasn't working. She was fourteen years old, and your typical teen for most aspects of life. She was a momma's girl, but there was no such momma any longer to look up to... she had died a little less than a year ago, and Janine had been devastated. She looked to her only other parental figure, her father, but found him too busy with his training and Gym Challenges to bother with her. She was crushed. Left to do things around the house by herself, one day, she had snapped and this was the beginning of her rebellious phase.

Anything HE wanted her to be, she would go out of her way to stop herself. Argument after argument in the little amount of time that he was actually home had led to this. He had decided a long time ago that she would be his successor – a person to run the gym, and because of that essentially run Fuschia alongside Warden "Slowpoke", once he could no longer do so himself... whether that be from injury, absence, or worst come to worst, his death. Now he would go firm on it because of her rebellious phase, and demanded that she... at the very least... stay in the Gym with him when a Challenger came, once per week. She obliged but with very little pleasure... she told herself so that it was to get him off her case.

She really did like battling, though. Her mind was highly analytical in it's best moments, much like HIS normal mind-set, but worked against that in her worst moments: where rebellious, emotional Janine came through. Also like her father, or so he had told her, but when he was her age.

Like Hell she believed that, though.

"... Challenger, give me your name." He demanded, his lips curling into a smirk of mild apprehensiveness and excitement. Each challenger brought forth new challenges to him, and that was what excited him... challenges. Things to put his mind to the test. Another similarity between him and her.

"Joseph," The man said politely. He was an older man, probably in his late forties to early fifties. But he also had a childish side to him, and both he and she could tell this immediately. Why? His hair was a bright blue. "Joseph Estar. A pleasure, Koga."

He - "Koga" - nodded in return.

"Heh. Fine then, Joseph – shall we get started?" Koga asked, his hand slipping down toward his belt.

"I'd be more than happy." He replied, and slid his thumb over the release switch of the ball in hand.

"Ace," Koga called. "Come forth!" He thrust his arm forward, releasing his Pokemon from it's spherical home. Having felt his trainer's vibes, his Pokemon came out battle-ready.

She was surprised to see that Pokemon be used first, considering it was HIS prized one. But then again, he was getting into his early forties. Getting bolder with age.

Joseph calmly pulled his thumb off the release switch, and released his own battler was well. "Pars," He started off. "Shall we?"

Parasect, owned by Challenger.

Golbat, owned by Leader.

It was obvious who would win.

"Your move first, Koga." Joseph remarked, recognizing the fact that his Pokemon was much slower than the speedy Golbat But Joseph's eyes... they held a sort of smug glint to them, which Janine observed to be piercing. She shuddered.

"Of course. Ace," Koga began his orders, pointing at the Parasect in front of him. "Aerial Ace!"

Ace zipped through the sequence necessary for the attack, done by the time Janine was able to blink twice. He turned himself to the side, and folded one wing over his body. The other was brandished, edge shining a sort of silvery color. He then darted sideways, as the shine quickly enveloped his entire wing. He slammed into Parasect's Mushroom shell, and then moved himself to the right: It left a thick slash mark across the opponent. The Golbat backtracked without even needing to look, and turned back to face the Parasect once again.

"Good job standing up to it, Pars," Joseph praised. The Parasect seemed to be suffering from the wound, but it stood, beady eyes focused with a faint anger at it's opponent for causing it pain. An understandable anger, really. "Now, let's go for a Slash!"

The Parasect let loose a battle-cry, scuttling forth, it's legs clicking against the purple tiled surface of the Gym. As soon as it slid beneath Golbat, it leaped up and quickly dug one of it's pincers into the Golbat's stomach.

A simple slash attack. Nothing really that special, though it did sort of appear that Ace was feeling some pain as well.

"Good! Pars, you're doing great..."

The Parasect scuttled backward, and let loose a taunting cry. "Persec!"

"Ace. Take back some of the blood you lost... heh..." Koga grinned from ear to ear. Golbat's speciality, Janine knew (from having to be near it so much) was it's ability to suck the life from it's victims. A true "ninja's tool", in the eyes of her father... it's signature attack, Leech Life.

And so it was to be. Ace flapped his wings swiftly, letting the wind produced push him forward, slamming right into the opposing Pokemon, wings plastered to it's Mushroom Armor. Thus, Ace was as well.

Because of a Parasect's speciality move, "Spore", it was also a tool heavily valued by "Ninja" trainers. So she knew that he knew a lot about them... which made her wonder why he would go in so close. Ace was susceptible to a Spore attack in that close a distance, and the spores were kept inside it's Mushroom... so why?

It was as she had predicted – as Ace sunk his teeth into the mushroom, it had started off sucking vigorously. Draining what it thought to be blood, and apparently enjoying it. Amazingly so. But he started to slow... and got slower by the moment, until finally, it dropped off completely, snoozing soundly.

"Ace!" Koga called out – his voice seemed genuinely surprised. This surprised her, in return. "... Hmph. Well done, Ace. Come on back." A bright white light echoed outward, snatching up the snoozing Golbat and taking it into it's ball once more.

Joseph's smugness seemed to have grown tenfold from this victory, as he now wore a satisfied grin instead of holding that simple look in his eyes. This sent another shiver down Janine's spine... as it was, her father was losing – against something he was good against. Why?

"Alright! Next comes you, Chabo!" The dreaded Ninjamaster of Fuschia cried, and once again tossed his arm forward, releasing his next Pokemon: Arbok. Chabo let loose a quick hiss, it's tongue stuck out for dramatic effect, while it's head was lifted up to better reveal the face-pattern on it's stomach. It resembled a mask, meant to resemble a demon. Once again, more for dramatic effect in a domesticated Pokemon than anything.

Janine, at this point, was drawn in whether she wanted to admit it or not. Battles, at heart, always had been amazing prospects to her... but in her rebellious teenage attitude, she told everyone and anyone that she wouldn't DARE put her precious Venon in harm's way like that. Venon was her precious Venonat, who – whether behind mask or not – she would die to protect. It had been a gift from her. Her mother. She had been the next one in line for Koga's spot, until the disease struck her.

She was getting off topic in her head... she really needed to stop that...

Chabo made the first move. Those who didn't know battling well enough would miss it, of course, but she knew battling well enough to see it. Either that, or she had just been with Chabo long enough to know his tactics. Within the blink of an eye, the face-pattern on his stomach flashed a dim golden color, giving it a much more life-like appearance for that blinking moment. When it faded, the Parasect seemed locked in place; it was a glare attack, meant to frighten the opponent into a temporarily stunned state. Now this was the strategic mind of the man she knew...

"Pars! Break out of it-" Joseph started to call out, but Koga cut him off.

"Chabo! Poison Fang!" The Arbok then slid across the floor, and buried his teeth for – this time, only a single moment in to the Parasect's mushroom, injecting a toxic substance admist the spores. The spores were close to it's bloodstream; the Parasect would faint soon, and die if not given treatment soon enough.

"You lose, Joseph." Koga said with a thin smile... and he had indeed lost. If he didn't want to go to jail for neglect, he'd have to get his Pokemon to a center as soon as he could... it took priority over battling, in the eyes of a lawful trainer.

And so he did so, dashing off with the Pokeball of "Pars" in hand.

xxxxxxxx

_(Timeskip: 4 hours. Now 7:00 PM)_

She let loose a small, disappointed sigh, as if to say, "Oh, wonderful..." – and it was the exact thought going through her mind as she heard that wooden door's familiar _clack _it made when it opened. Then the sliding, and a second _clack _as it shut.

_He's here._

She would pretend that she didn't notice, continuing the basic, monotonous tasks that he had set up for her – the broom handle in her hands, gently swiping away a few thin layers of dust that clouded the old-fashioned home's wooden floors. Things like this... she had to do them now, since mother had passed and HE was absent too much to actually do things himself. So she was left to do all the work, while he lazed around all day, doing "training".

_Such a _good _father..._

She giggled at her own sarcastic mind, but heard his voice... now, a bit less gruff, more casual and mockingly "loving", speaking to her.

"Might I ask what's so funny, Janine?" He seemed amused.

"... Nothing, daddy." She murmured.

"Listen. We need to talk, my beautiful daughter."

"... Fine."

He flinched at the almost harsh tone of her voice. That was her aim. With the opportunies presented to do so, she always tried to show him just how bad a father she thought he was – how could she have looked up to him before? She was little at the time, but... still!

She gently placed the broom handle against the wall, and walked off toward her father, who in return, turned himself around to walk outside.

xxxxx

_(Timeskip: Five minutes)_

The two had sat outside, listening to the buzzes and chirps of the various insects around them, watching the fireflies lighting up the slowly dimming sky in an awkward stance – finally, she decided she would take no more of it. She spoke up, her voice filled with a slight hint of teenager's malice.

"What is it, already-" She started off, but Koga's voice cut in. It seemed forlorn, almost enough so that she already felt guilty for even thinking more than a single bad thought about him. Almost.

"Janine."

"... Yes?"

"... I didn't wish to have to do this, this way." He started off. His eyes, previously closed in a thoughtful manner, now slowly creaked open.

She felt her heart skip a beat, and anger rushed through her. She knew what was coming: Any teen with a sensible mind would have known.

"... You will either accept my training, or you will have to find a new home."

She knew it. She **fucking knew it.**

"... How could you say that, daddy?" She exclaimed, quickly moving up to her feet. Her eyes, now wide, glared down at the man who seemed to have recoiled from the explosive retaliation. "Just because I don't want to follow in your footsteps-"

"Janine..." Koga cut off again. "You're sorely mistaken."

She calmed down a slight bit from hearing it, but still left herself on guard. If his explanation was bad... or God forbid, even worse, than she thought... she needed to have that anger there to cushion the blow.

But the anger was quickly replaced by some foreign sensation. Something she had only felt once before, when her mother had passed away – the sudden, overwhelming need to scream. Not in anger. Not in sadness. Not in pain. Just... she felt the need to scream, the motive behind it really unknown.

"... I've been called. I will not be here in Fuschia much longer. It was the Pokemon League... the reformations are one member short. They want me. It's either I let you stay here alone, knowing you've at least got some wits to you for a teen, or make sure you're living some place safe."

xxxxxxxxx

_(Timeskip: 3 years)_

She couldn't help but smile, as she looked out over the class in front of her: Each individual girl doing their own thing. Studying, talking, practicing... she had left them for a short span of time, as she had been feeling in the strangest sort of nostalgic mood. She had given Maya a lie... a well thought out one, sure, but a lie all the same. That question, though... sparked the real memories.

She was now seventeen, and – next to Green of Viridian – the youngest leader of Kanto. Not the youngest in the world, thankfully … that Maylene of Sinnoh had beaten her on that, so some of the occasional focus on the subject was directed to her.

She had taken up her father's style of clothing... at the particular moment, she had narrowed it down to it's most simplistic, but elegant, comfortable... but efficient, style. Her hair remained in it's broomstick-tailed hanging, and her top had changed to a jet black, sleeveless shirt. An orange scarf hung around her neck. Around her waist, keeping her equally black pants up, was a thin purple sash. She had also adopted her father's shoestyle, a simple pair of blue sandles.

She had done the training because she realized at that point, her father cared... and she cared for him to, despite the mindframe she had given herself for months. She loved him, and if he wanted her to take up this particular job... then she would do it. It was close to her first day, too – the League had announced, despite the fact that it had been chosen a year prior, exactly one year ago that a new Gym Leader for Fuschia City had been chosen. Students for the "Gym Trainer" positions would be allowed to come, and try to get in. Now, it had been a year, and she had handpicked her individual pupils... for her own, unique ideas.

xxxx

"_Hoho!" _

_The face seemed pleased with idea; his face, that one she had decided that she loved so much... she hated herself for even thinking that she had hated him._

"_A very unique idea, Janine... and a strategic one at that." _

"_Yeah... I'm proud of myself for it – and glad you like it, to, daddy." She smiled at the computer screen, feeling nothing but a sense of attachment, respect, and most of all, love for her father. _

**Well, then. Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Always liked Janine, and couldn't help but wonder why she took over her father's position. And seeing that she had so little recognition on ffnet... well, this idea came to mind. **

**For those who have by chance read it, "Best Laid Plans" is still on Hiatus. Wanna write one or two more oneshots before it.**


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